Package holiday provider Jet2 has decided to cancel all flights and vacation packages to Skiathos for the upcoming week due to the catastrophic weather conditions that have afflicted the renowned Greek holiday spot.
Heavy rainstorms and widespread flooding have devastated the island of Skiathos, destroying countless homes.
The death toll from the catastrophic storms that hit Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria has risen to 14, with more bodies discovered by search and rescue crews in these neighbouring countries.
An unexpected flood at a campground in northeastern Turkey, near the Bulgarian border, killed at least five people and carried away bungalow dwellings.
One individual remains missing, and search and rescue activities are still ongoing.
Read More Britons stranded on Greek island as flash floods close roads
Furthermore, two people were killed in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, as a result of the storms, which inundated hundreds of homes and businesses in multiple neighbourhoods on Tuesday.
Storm Daniel’s ferocity has turned the streets of Skiathos, Greece, into waterways, sweeping away vehicles and forcing inhabitants and tourists alike to seek shelter indoors.
A statement by Jet2 announced: “Due to these extraordinary circumstances, and with our customers’ best interests in mind, we have taken the decision to cancel all flights and holidays that are due to depart to Skiathos up to and including Tuesday 12th September.”
Flights to the United Kingdom have been cancelled, leaving a large number of British citizens stuck owing to the grounding of flights at Skiathos Airport.
Don’t miss…
UK tourists scrambling for flights as popular Greek island hammered by floods[INSIGHT]
England could soon see devastating summer wildfires like Greece and Hawaii[ANALYSIS]
Furious protests erupt at British tourist hotspot as locals vent anger[REPORT]
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
In other cases, British travellers have been forced to spend the night on baggage claim carousels at airports while looking for refuge.
Jet2 continued: “We are continuing to closely monitor the weather conditions that have been affecting Skiathos.
“Due to these extraordinary circumstances, and with our customers’ best interests in mind, we have taken the decision to cancel all flights and holidays that are due to depart to Skiathos up to and including Tuesday 12th September.
“As well as providing certainty for our customers, we believe that this is the right thing to do in terms of allowing the island and its population to quickly return to normal following this week’s events.
“We will be contacting affected customers with regards to their refund and rebooking options. We plan to fly our scheduled programme of aircraft to Skiathos with no customers onboard, so that we can bring customers back to the UK.
“We will review this flying programme closely and may put on additional aircraft to fly customers home if required.”
“This announcement comes in addition to the cancellations to Skiathos that we have already made this week (six flights operating between Monday 4th and Wednesday 6th September). We will fly all customers affected by these cancellations back to the UK too, and we will communicate directly with them to let them know.
“We are continuing to closely monitor the situation on the island and have been in touch with customers in resort to advise them of the situation, and to ask them to follow the advice of the local authorities as well as their hoteliers. In addition, our in-resort teams are working tirelessly to visit and look after customers despite infrastructure challenges caused by the weather.
“We recognise that this is an extremely difficult and unpleasant experience for our customers, and we of course are extremely sorry to hear this. Although extraordinary events such as these are completely outside of our control, our absolute focus is on doing everything we can to look after everyone.”
Source: Read Full Article